


Scorned Countess

by HH_BlueDynamite



Series: A Bloody Retribution [3]
Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Alastor is in Hell for a Reason (Hazbin Hotel), Charlie Has Enough, I was wondering when I was going to use this tag, Mind Control, Niffty Protection Squad!, Of this Sugar Honey Iced Tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:41:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22583464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HH_BlueDynamite/pseuds/HH_BlueDynamite
Summary: The final act begins and the actors have been casted. Now, let's hope they survive the night from each other.
Series: A Bloody Retribution [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1600492
Comments: 20
Kudos: 111





	1. The Final Act

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Hazbin Hotel. It belongs to Vivziepop.
> 
> Couldn't wait. Sorry, not sorry.

Reggie?"

What Charlie saw before her was an unnerving sight. Regina was flushed up against Alastor's slim frame, her arms around him in a tight embrace. That was strange in of itself. However, Alastor's arms were held in place by shadow tentacles, his clawed hands would've slashed Regina otherwise. And that wasn't the end of it. Why? Because Regina, the meek demoness Charlie had become close, has her sharp teeth sunk into Alastor's neck.

While Alastor himself was silent, the radio noise around him fizzed uncontrollably and his fingers twitched as he struggled to rip Regina off him. His eyes were blackened and his pupils became dials. Not a good sign. Then, the radio noise stopped and Alastor went limp. Regina removes her fangs, leaving a string of shimmering liquid and licking the blood off her lips and allowed the stag to fall to the ground.

"Mmm…That was more delicious than expected." she said. "The samples I had was nothing compared to the main course." Regina knelt to her knees and traces a finger across Alastor's jaw. "Don't you worry. I'm definitely going to keep you alive."

"Reggie?" Charlie repeated, finding her voice. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Hm? Oh, you mean this?" Regina said as she got back up. "Just a little something between old acquaintances."

"Acquaintances?" Charlie echoed, unsure.

"Of course, that was before he took my spot as an Overlord."

"You…were an Overlord?" Vaggie questioned.

"Surprised? Of course, you were. Who wouldn't expect a timid little demon, hm?" Regina said.

"…You did all this." Charlie realized. "You were the one who killed Agatha. You were the one who killed those people. You were the one who took Alastor and made us do all those things. You orchestrated it all, why?" Vaggie's heart broke at the hurt tone in Charlie's voice.

"Why you ask? I'll tell you why." Regina snaps her fingers and a spear appears in her hand. A spear Charlie and Vaggie recognized immediately. "It was because of _him_!" She lunged the spear at Alastor's prone form. Thankfully, Angel sprung into action, literally, using his ability as a jumping spider demon to get to Alastor and move him out of the way. The spearhead hits the floorboard instead. Regina growled in frustration. She wasn't going to kill Alastor. Just maim him.

"I thought I recognized your handy work," Rosie said, "Countess."

Regina – Countess – smirked at the woman. "Hello to you too, Rosie. It's been a long time, hasn't it? How is Franklin?"

"Erased."

Countess feigned sadness. "Oh. Pity. I would have loved to enslave all three of you for what you've done to me."

Rosie glances up and down at Countess' appearance. "I see that you have changed your appearance over the years to help with your deception."

"Of course. If I had people recognizing me, then my revenge plan would have gone up in smoke."

"And I take it that you are this 'C' mentioned in Agatha's journal?"

"Indeed. Her blood had a nice flavor to it, but not as appetizing. As were her powers."

"…What?" Charlie asked.

"Countess' ability allows her to temporarily receive another demon's power by drinking their blood." Rosie explained.

"That explains how she was using Alastor's powers." Husk said.

"But…why? What happened?" Charlie asked.

"Do you really want to know?" Countess asked. She glances over at Alastor, who is still out cold, having Angel and Nifty guard him. "…For centuries, I have held my position as Overlord. During my reign, I had many followers, demoness' who's blood I craved. I was affectionately called the Queen Countess by my girls, even long before I made them my dolls. Then, one day during a ball I held, I saw Alastor. I was enraptured by the scent of his blood, by his power. I knew I wanted it. More than anything. To curry in my favor, I struck a deal with him. He agreed. Of course, I planned on turning him into one of my dolls. A male doll perhaps, but he's attractive enough for compensation." The air around her started to thicken as her anger started to grow. "But before I could make my move, the… _Radio_ _Demon_ struck me down and stripped me of my title as Overlord! For years, I plotted my revenge. After I'm done with you all, I'll hunt down the current generation of Overlords and let them know who the real Queen is. And nothing, I mean _nothing_ , is going to stop me!"

Everyone grew silent, letting this information sink in. The first one to speak was Angel. "Ain't that kinda petty?"

A chord was struck in Countess' head. "Petty? _Petty?!_ You call my act of revenge for his betrayal _petty_?"

"Betrayal? Bitch, you were using him as much as he used you! Hell, from the sounds of it, you were gonna backstab him first before he did."

"Okay, if all of this was to get back at him for…whatever he did to you, why rope us into this?" Vaggie asked.

Countess closed her eyes. "A simple answer for a simple question." She reopened them, more crazed looking. "Because I felt like it!"

Charlie couldn't belief what she is seeing. Is this really who Regina is? "What about all that talk about your redemption?"

For a moment, Countess stared at the princess with barely any expression before she smiled cruelly. "That's what it was. All talk."

Tears threaten to fall from Charlie's eyes. Vaggie sees this and takes out several knives. "Tu puta!" She throws the blades at the demoness. Countess used her spear to swipe the knives away. She goes into a fighting stance before she noticed the slightest movement of Alastor's shoulder.

She smirked.

"I'd love to stay here and play with you, but I have an army to prepare. But, don't worry. I left a taste of it for you to enjoy. Toodles!" With a snap of her fingers, she was gone.

"What did she mean by that?" Angel wondered.

"Mr. Alastor?" Niffty asked. Angel sees the stag getting up. He still seemed out of it, though Angel couldn't tell because his hair was obscuring his face.

"Ya feelin' good, Al?" Angel asked. "Need a hand?" He reached out to the red deer. Suddenly, Alastor's hand shot out and grabs Angel by his throat. "Al…what are you…" The grip on his throat tightened.

"Alastor! What are you doing?" Charlie exclaimed, taking a hold on his arm. She was then pushed away by the Radio Demon. As she stumbled back, she saw his face. It was like earlier except for one thing.

Thick streams of blood dripped from his bloodshot eyes.


	2. Instrument of Cyanide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is a reference to DAGames Bendy and the Ink Machine Song 'Instruments of Cyanide'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Hazbin Hotel. It belongs to Vivziepop.

"Alastor?" Goosebumps formed on Charlie's skin as a staticky chuckle erupted from Alastor's being and his antlers started to grow. Angel used his many hands to pull away the stag's arm in a vain attempt to free himself. "Alastor…this isn't funny. Let go of Angel." Alastor's grip only tightened.

"Mr. Alastor!" Niffty pleaded.

"…okay…this has passed…masochism…I think…" the spider gasped.

"Charlie, I don't think Alastor is messing around." Vaggie said, summoning her spear.

"Wait, Vaggie." Charlie insisted. "Alastor. I don't know what Reg…what Countess did to you, but you need to fight it!"

"I don't think a rousing speech is gonna be enough to snap him out of it." Husk said.

As his sight darken into tunnel vision, Angel reaches into his chest fluff to pull out his gun. He shoots it into Alastor's arm, the red deer finally let's go. Angel collapsed to the ground, coughing and gasping. Husk used the opportunity to charge at the red stag. Another grainy snicker came from Alastor as he attacked Husk. While the Radio Demon liked to use his demonic powers and tricks, he was no slouch in terms of hand-to-hand. As is Husk, who died a war vet. Charlie and Vaggie reach Angel's side.

"Are you okay?" Charlie asked.

Angel coughed. "Yeah…I'll be honest… I think I was gettin' a boner out of that."

"TMI." Vaggie groaned.

Husk and Alastor stared each other down, deep scowl vs manic grin. Husk has his right claw clasped around Alastor's left wrist while his left claw is kept in place by Alastor's right hand, locking the two in a stalemate. Blood from Alastor's gunshot wound stained his white sleeve.

"All you're good for is causing trouble." Husk said to Alastor.

" _ **A—ai—he—en…ll—il—t—Qu—…**_ " It sounded like Alastor was going through several channels.

Husk dared to look over at Charlie, Vaggie, and Angel. "Don't just sit there. Go stop Countess! See what she can do? She's planning to make a whole army of these 'dolls'!"

"But—" Charlie tried to object but Rosie and Niffty stood in front of her.

"Do not fret, dear. We shall handle the wild buck." Rosie declared. "You have a scorned Countess to deal with. Now, off with you. We don't have much time." At first hesitant, Charlie nodded.

"Can you stand, Angel?" she asked.

Angel cleared his throat. "Yeah…let's get going."

"Right." Charlie turns around to look at Alastor one last time. He was able to free himself from Husk's grip and slashed at him. The cat demon pounced back to avoid being hit. Rosie used her closed parasol like a rapier to jab at Alastor. He dodges each attack.

"Come on, Charlie!" Vaggie called.

"Coming!"

With Charlie gone, Rosie asked Husk, "Do you honestly think they can do it on their own?"

"No. Not a chance." Husk admitted. "But, they can at least hold her off until we smack some sense back into Alastor."

"That is, if we can." Rosie said.

"Mr. Alastor…" Niffty muttered, a rare expression of worry and fear etched on her face for someone she has deemed a friend for decades.

"Do you wish to accompany Charlie, sweetie?" Rosie asked. Niffty looked tempted, saddened to see Alastor like this. But she remembered how she first met him many years ago. And she wanted to return the favor.

Alastor chuckled darkly, the blood streams from his eyes thickening and his antlers grew even more. " _ **All Hail the Queen...heh-heh-heh…**_ "

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

"I wonder if Katie and the others are all right." Charlie mused.

"And you care because…?" Angel puzzled.

"Have you met Charlie?" Vaggie asked rhetorically. The demon princess pouted cutely.

"Ah. So, what's the plan, babe?" Angel asked as they ran.

"I was thinking we could sit her down and talk to her before giving her a timeout."

"This isn't a kid we're dealing with." Vaggie protested. "This is a fallen Overlord hellbent on destruction."

"Okay…Then, maybe we could try restraining her and ask her how to reverse her hypnotic blood-drinking or whatever it was!"

"Pfft, easier said than done." The three drew close to a staircase leading to the ballroom but skid to a halt as 'dolls' appeared from the entrance, all having the same bloody eyes as Alastor. "Fuckin' fantastic." He and Vaggie aimed their weapons at them.

"Wait! Don't kill them!"

"Then what? Do you want them to kill us instead?" Angel queried.

An idea lite up in Vaggie's mind. She takes a knife and spin throws it at a 'doll'. The blade sliced through his leg, dividing the limb from the rest of his body and he fell to the ground.

"Vaggie!" Charlie chided.

"We can apologize to them later!" Vaggie said before summoning more knives and throwing them. Angel, with his gun, proceeds to shoot them in the legs.

"Ha! Bullet to the knee!"

"I'm sorry!" Charlie apologized.

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

"This is fucking horseshit!" Botis cursed as he swings his column at another 'doll'.

"Ya think?" Helsa asked, willing her hair to throw offending demons.

"They just keep coming." Velvet commented with a wide grin before making a selfie of herself and the mob.

"What an excellent scoop!" Katie said. "Keep filming like your life depends on it!"

"That's because it does!" squealed Tom.

"I wonder if Charlie and her sinners got jumped by these guys." Helsa said. "Not that I care. I just wanna record it."

"Probably, since a bunch of them ran past reporter titties." Velvet said.

"I hate to say it, sis, but we're gonna need more hands if we're gonna get out of this in one piece." Botis said.

Helsa clicked her tongue. "Yeah, let's go find princess hazbin. She's probably crying like a baby now over these sinners." Helsa stops when she sees 'Regina' standing at the top of the stares with a dull expression. "Oh, look who decided to come back. Hey, didn't you see the demon princess and her sinners anywhere? Are they done with this stupid ass game or are they off on another scavenger hunt?"

Countess' only response was to grin maliciously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had Blackhat in mind at the last part.


	3. Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Hazbin Hotel. It belongs to Vivziepop.

The 'dollified' guests groan in pain from the loss of their working legs so Charlie, Vaggie, and Angel could get by. As they ran, Charlie would occasionally look back, expecting to see the rest of the group, including Alastor, back to his senses. Charlie deeply hopes there is a way to bring everyone affected back to normal. Something that doesn't require killing. Maybe the Countess might know. She is the one having them under her control.

This made Charlie ponder. Are the 'dollified' demons even aware of their actions? Is that why they look as though they are crying? Are they despairing over the loss of control? How much pain are they in? How much pain is Alastor in?

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

"What's with the creepy smile?" Helsa asked the Countess. The newly revised Overlord still has a grin plastered on her face.

"Uh, isn't it obvious?" Velvet asked.

"Huh?"

"She's the one behind all of this. Look. Even the mob stopped so we could even have this conversation."

"It's always the meek ones…" Tom muttered.

"Seen it before. Been it before." Katie said.

"You have sharp eyes. Velvet, right? Since you are an Overlord I plan to destroy, I'll give you the liberty to introduce myself. I am the Countess." Countess said. Tom drops his camera in shock.

"That was expensive, limp dick!" Katie exclaimed.

"Y-You're the Countess?" Tom inquired. "I thought the Radio Demon slain you down."

"He did. But without use of an angelic weapon, no one dies here in Hell." the Countess said, fiddling with her spear. "I'm sure darling Alastor regreted not using one when he faced me. Heh-heh. Not like he can now." Her eyes glared at Velvet. "The same can apply for _you_." She throws the spear like a javelin at Velvet, who moved to the side. The spear stabs an unfortunate guest. The Countess only shrugged. "I have plenty more." She snaps her fingers to bring the spear back. "Ready to have some fun?"

Velvet giggled. "Let's."

"Countess!" Charlie, Vaggie and Angel burst into the room. The Countess glanced at them, disinterested.

"Oh, I was hoping that my prized doll has strewn your entrails." she commented cruelly. Charlie flinched at the comment, still remembering the sweet and kind Regina, who never existed.

She shakes her head. "We're here to stop you and you're going to tell us how to reverse this."

The Countess chuckled at that. "And how do you plan to do that? Lecture me? Oh, I've been a bad girl. I'm gonna need a timeout." The vampire laughed at her mockery, as did Helsa and Katie. A tint of pink blossomed on Charlie's cheeks, embarrassed of how close to her idea it was. Trying to keep the matter at hand, she willed her blush away and looks at the Countess dead in the eyes.

"Yes, I am."

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

Husk is slammed into the wall by Alastor. The cat demon kicks him off, the stag skids on the rug, his fingers clawing on the fabric. Without a pause, Alastor attacks again, going for Husk's throat. The cat used his wings to shield himself, four gashes formed from Alastor's slash. Husk winced slightly. This is not good. Not at all. The red stag hadn't showed any signs of wearing down, despite his wounds, while Husk himself is growing more exhausted. Is this the power of a 'doll'? And at what cost? Their will?

"I can't believe I'm gonna do this…" Husk muttered to himself. "What the fuck, Al? You're gonna let some broad control you like this? I thought you had some sense of pride." Alastor charges again, this time running into Rosie's opened parasol. Alastor shakes his head before glaring at the woman.

"Is that how you treat a gentlelady?" Rosie asked. Alastor hissed before attacking.

"A lot of good that did. Just made him more pissed." Husk said.

"You tried to do what Ms. Charlie tried." Niffty observed. "You tried to talk to him without violence."

"A stupid idea. If it didn't work for the princess, it's sure as hell wasn't gonna work for me." Husk said.

"But…at least you tried." The two said no more and watched the fight between Rosie and Alastor. The female Overlord dodged and strikes with grace against her former 'student'.

" _ **All Hail the Queen…**_ " Alastor growled gutturally.

"You are not in your right mind, Alastor." Rosie remarked. "You worship no queen." She blocks another slash attack from Alastor and kicks him back. He hisses again. Despite weakening for the past few hours, Alastor seems to have regained a lot of strength. The crazed deer set his eyes on Husk and Niffty. Husk looks around for a weapon before finding one of Vaggie's discarded knives within arm's reach. He looks up to see Alastor making a mad dash at them. Without a second thought, Husk pushes Niffty out of the way before being shoved down to the ground and dragged across the hall.

"Husker!" Niffty shouted.

Husk couldn't do anything but let this happen. He could feel his fur and skin being scraped off by the ruff rug. Through the burning pain, Husk mustered up to look up at the man he even hesitates to call an acquaintance. Reaching the end of the hall, Alastor slams Husk by his throat on the wall. The cat demon coughed roughly. The wind knocked out of him.

" _ **All Hail the Queen…**_ "

"Is that all you're gonna say…?" Husk asked. Alastor raises a hand, ready to stab him through the chest and rip his heart out. In the back of Husk's mind, a voice was telling him to ram his claws into Alastor's chest before he could do it to him. But, for some reason, Husk couldn't.

" _ **All Hail the Queen…**_ "

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

Charlie looked at the rest of the 'dollified' guests in horror. When did the Countess turn all these people into her slaves? She remembered that she left Countess – Regina – in charge of looking after them when they were busy solving the riddle. "Vaggie, Angel, go help with crowd control while I handle the Countess." Charlie said.

The Countess scoffed. "Handle me? Really?"

"Sorry, princess, but I already called dibs on this bitch's ass." Velvet said.

"Then let me help you." Charlie insisted. "It's because of me this happened to these guests. I know I had no way of knowing who Regina really was, but I'm still responsible for this. And I want to make it right."

"…Fine. But only because you'll do it even if I say 'no.'" Velvet said. "And I don't want you in my way."

"I understand."

The Countess chuckled. "You can try and stop me, solo or more, but it will be fruitless. Once I turn everyone here into my dolls, I will gather more candidates perfect for my army so I can reclaim my rightful place. And what better way than to have three Overlords and the princess of Hell under my control."

"Speaking of, where's the radio man and Rosie?" Velvet asked. "Did they get 'dollified'?"

"Alastor's fine. Rosie is too." Charlie said.

At least, she hoped.


	4. Turn Around

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Hazbin Hotel. It belongs to Vivziepop.

Charlie takes a deep breath before fire erupted from her hands and her eyes turn red with yellow pupils as she took a fighting stance. "Ready when you are." she said to Velvet.

"Well, shit. Never thought I'll see the pansy princess throw down." Velvet remarked.

The Countess smirked. "Sure. Work together. It's not like it's going to make a difference!" She summons shadow minions at the pair. Velvet moved to retaliate but Charlie was faster and blasted the shadows away. Charlie releases a fire ball at the Countess, but she knocks it away and conjures up tentacles to give her high ground and to attack the princess. Before they could even touch her, Velvet rips and tears them.

"Thank you." Charlie said.

"Don't waste your breath." Velvet dismissed. The two leaped towards the once been Overlord, dodging and jumping over anything in their way. When they reached the top, they both gear in for a punch at the Countess. Their fists made contact, but the Countess used her spear to block the punches.

She smirks arrogantly.

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

" _ **All Hail the Queen…**_ "

Husk closed his eyes, waiting for his inevitable demise.

"Don't do it!" Niffty shouted, leaping up and hold onto Alastor's raised arm. The red stag directs his bloody eyes at the tiny cyclops. "Don't do it, Mr. Alastor. It'll make a big mess in the hall and you've already broke a bunch of things, so we won't want to clean up the blood and…and…" Her one, big eye noticed something shining from Alastor's neck before the optical organ shimmered sadly. "…This isn't you. You aren't being you. I don't care if you do kill us, but I want you to be _you_ while you do, and not meany vampiresseses's plaything."

"For the record, the little lady isn't speaking for both of us." Husk wheezed.

"Please, Alastor!" Niffty pleaded. Alastor stares at her, radio static emanating from him. Behind them is Rosie, ready for anything Alastor might do. Then, Alastor swipes his arm, roughly throwing Niffty off. The cyclops quickly looked up to see him raising his hand again before striking down. "Alastor, no!"

Husk screw his eyes shut, feeling cast off blood hitting his face. When he realized he's still breathing, he reopened his eyes. Alastor's own were no longer radio dials, instead red static. Husk's golden pupils followed the stag's left arm, passing the bloodstain made by Angel's bullet, and finally sees the claws that was his doom deep in Alastor's other arm, sanguine staining his sleeve, matching the other. The cat's eyes widened at it before looking the other man in the face.

" _ **All Hail the Que—All Hail the—All Hail…**_ " The man's voice started to sound like a skipping record before the dial tones in his eyes started to move left to right to left to right sporadically. His head and neck twitch violently as the radio tune changed through different channels. _**"…little darling is Niffty…Pleasure to be meeting you, sweetheart…Smile, my dear…my effeminate fellow…Husker, my good friend…**_ " Alastor's grip on Husk's neck slackens and the cat demon falls to the ground. Niffty hurried to Husk's side. Husk coughs and rubs his neck. He and Niffty turn to Alastor, who was backing up and still twitching. " _ **…couldn't stand idly by when a gal is by her lonesome…I am a man of my word…From the way I see it, you are still his…**_ " Alastor fell to his knees as random sentences resonated from his static. He dragged his fingers through the rug, leaving wide gashes. " _ **…now, what's a little darling like you doing in this part of town?…**_ " Niffty gasped. That was the first thing Alastor had said to her. " _ **…We cannot change the cards we are dealt…**_ " Husk remembered when Alastor said those words to him. He remembered his face at the time too…

"…Alastor…" Husk said.

With shaky hands, Alastor grasped his shoulders, his fingers digging into fabric and skin. He trembled ferociously and red neon lines formed from his mouth, his grin brittle. _"_ _ **…Inside of every demon is a lost cause…But we'll dress them up for now with just a smile…Inside of every demon is a rainbow, inside every sinner is a shiny smile!**_ " The last sentence sounded like it came out of Charlie's interview. A hellish shrill of feedback and static exploded from Alastor, creating a powerful force of energy to knock back the other three. Reality rips tear and mend at random spots as Alastor loose control, red sparks flying off him. His voice sound like he was skipping through a hundred channels in rapid succession. Another shrill escaped him, this time it felt anguished. It felt painful.

It felt _real_.

Rosie struggled to remain on her feet. Taking her parasol, she brings it downward so the tip hits the ground. Ribbons and loose fabric from Niffty and Husk's clothing suddenly come to life and restrains Alastor, tying his arms behind him. He thrashed around like a wild animal, trying to break free.

"Ms. Rosie! I think there's something in Mr. Alastor's neck!" Niffty exclaimed.

Rosie careful walked to her associate, despite the heavily dense static formed around him. She takes him by the shoulders and pushes him down on his front. Alastor, on a subconscious level, struggled to keep his cracking smile as little white noises came out of him. They were small and varied in volume. It made Rosie think he was…whimpering. She holds his head to see his neck. There, in the bitten area, is a shining mark. Seeing how the Countess bit Alastor, she had probably injected some kind of substance while drinking his blood, which may be the cause of this state of frenzy. Is there a way to get it out?

"Mr. Husk, my I ask for your assistance?" Rosie asked politely.

The cat demon raises to his feet, somewhat fatigued and his entire left side hurt but limply he made his way over. "What is it?"

"Can you perhaps suck out any possible foreign substance from Alastor's neck?"

Husk blinked at her, staring at her as though she had grown a second head. "…Huh?"

"A joke, my dear. But, please, cut through this mark, will you?"

Husk spared a moment to glare at her before lowering down. "You're definitely associate with this asshole." he grumbled. He did what he was asked, running a claw across the mark. Almost instantly, Alastor went limp and the area returned to normal. A silvery substance dribbled out of the cut. Rosie probes the area, allowing more of the liquid to be squeezed out. Little by little, the mark started to fade from existence before disappearing completely with there is no trace of the strange fluid.

With a snap of Rosie's fingers, the cloth binding Alastor unfurled and Rosie moved him so his head would be resting on her lap. Taking out a handkerchief, Rosie dabs away the blood on Alastor's face. "It would seem that our deer is back to normal."

"It's about fucking time." Husk grunted. Niffty suddenly hugs him on his bad side. He grimaced but seeing the tears of relief made him bear with it. "…I'm gonna need a stiff one when this is over and done with."

"I concur." said Rosie.

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

Angel shoots the leg of another 'doll'. Seeing he has run out of bullets, he goes to replace the magazine.

"Why the fuck are you shootin' them in the leg?" Botis asked. "Aim for the head, genius."

"Sorry, but I'm under strict rules to not do something fun." Angel said. Two 'dolls' attacked from behind, but he absently punches them in the face with his spare hands. He returns to his non-lethal shooting when he noticed something outside the window.

A pair of little goat demons waved a him. Realization hit the porn star like a truck.

Angel blinked. "Uh…hey, Vags?"

"What?"

"Where were the goat bois when all of this was happenin'?" Something small crashes through of the windows. Angel gets a close look at it. It was a little bomb.

A cherry bomb.

"Hit the deck!"

***BOOM***


	5. Big Mistake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Hazbin Hotel. It belongs to Vivziepop.

That last thing he remembered was red static and a sense of loss. Then there was a total blank, an inky blackness of nothingness before a strange cocktail of unstable emotions took over and entrapped Alastor in a cage of madness. Furthermore, he could feel his body doing things on its own, no matter how much he tried to stop it. More than one occasion, he tried to break himself free, but invisible binds prevented him. He tried again and again and with each effort, the suffocating black tried to engulf him further down into the pit of insanity. Fear…for the first time in a long…long time, Alastor had felt fear. Fear…

…and despair.

But then, in that moment of despondency, a tiny voice could be heard from the void. At first, Alastor thought it was a trick. A false sense of security to let his guard down and be swallowed up. Then he heard it again…and again…

Niffty… Sweet, little Niffty…What is she trying to say?

Images flashed in his mind, memories of the hotel and its inhabitants, and even memories from long before his declaration of assistance for Charlie's cause. He somehow found the mental strength to push again. The madness wouldn't go down without a fight, it's blackness and red tried desperately to keep him down…and then nothing…no madness…no suffocation…no pain…

Then, consciousness returns to Alastor.

His head felt like lead. Thankfully, he was laying on something soft. Slow and steady, he moves to sit up. Alastor presses a hand to his head, a vain attempt to quell the throbbing behind his eyes. He barely noticed a dark blazer that was over him slipping down.

"Good evening, Alastor." he heard Rosie say. He turns his head to see the woman behind him, seating on her knees. "Slept well?"

"…Oh! Oh, my word. Do forgive me, my dear." Alastor apologized gentlemanly.

"It's quite all right." Rosie said.

"Mr. Alastor!" Niffty exclaimed, hugging the stag. Alastor was tad startled by the action. He heard a sniff from her. "…I'm so glad you're you again." She releases him, wiping her eye. Alastor hears someone clear their throat. He sees Husk standing over him, his left side out of view.

The cat demon holds out his hand. "Can I have that back now?"

Alastor blinks at him confusedly. He looks down at the blazer in his lap. He gingerly takes the jacket and hands it to Husk, who – unintentionally – snatch it out of his hand and hurriedly puts it on. Alastor was not offended in the slightest, fully aware of Husk's personality.

He gets up to his feet, the hall swayed slightly before stabilizing. "If you don't mind me asking, what in the Nine Circles happened?"

"Do you remember the Countess?" Rosie asked as she got up.

"The Overlord with a blood fetish? I do." Alastor answered, absently scratching his neck.

"It would appear that the lass Charlie had befriended was the dame you've slain decades ago." Rosie informed him. "Poor dear was heartbroken." Husk gazed his glance at her, taking note how she left out what Alastor was doing during his dollified state.

Alastor couldn't help but huff. "I can't say she hadn't had it coming. Look at where we are. That trusting nature of hers would be her undoing." He starts to fix up his shirt and vest. "Let us be off th—" His vision turned black and if Husk had not been there, Alastor would've collapsed.

"Hey now!"

"Mr. Alastor!" Niffty exclaimed.

Alastor blinked away the fog, the tunnel vision slowly ebbing away. "I do not think it is wise for you to do anything at the moment, Alastor." Rosie said.

A loud explosion and glass breaking can be heard from the direction of the ballroom.

"I'm afraid rest isn't an option, my dear." Alastor said. He summons his cane and transferring most of his weight to it. Alastor sees that Husk has yet to relinquish his supportive hold. He sends an icy glare at his direction. "You may release me, now." The cat demon didn't comply right away, instead he eyed his 'employer' for a moment before releasing him. "Thank you." Alastor trots off, trying to keep his gait at a neutral level in spite of his tiredness.

"Fucking idiot."

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

Angel coughed and waved away dust and smoke from his face. He looks down at Vaggie, who he pushed down and shielded. "You all right, Vags?"

"Yeah…" Angel moved away when she sat up. "What the hell happened?"

They heard someone walking towards them in the red smoke. When the person was close enough to have a silhouette, Angel recognized the shape.

"Hey, Angie." Cherri Bomb greeted.

"Cher…You're here."

"Well duuuh, I am. Like I'm gonna miss out on a party." Cherri said. She looks around. "So, you still need my help?"

"How did you know we were in trouble?" Vaggie asked.

"Char's goat dudes drove all the way to my place and told me what happened." Cherri explained. Razzle and Dazzle bleated happily. "I didn't understand most of the shit they are saying, but I finally got it when they drew pictures."

Vaggie hugged the goat demons. "You have no idea how happy I am." Angel did the same to Cherri.

"Sugar Tits, have I ever told ya how lucky I am to have met ya?"

"Ugh, just one annoyance after another." the Countess groaned from the balcony.

"Who's the bitch?" Cherri asked.

"Who am I? I am the rightful ruler of this dark, vile, and horrendous plane of eternal suffeRING!" the Countess' speech was cut short when Charlie tackled her off the canopy and onto the foyer. The Countess growled and tries to stab Charlie with her spear, but the princess grabs it and yanked it out of the fallen Overlord's grasp. She snaps the weapon in two and burns it. The Countess gritted her teeth and conjures up some shadow minions to attack Charlie. The princess used her flames to dissipate them. Seeing the blonde demon distracted, the Countess secretly summons a tentacle to grab her from behind. However, Velvet jumped from the balcony and landed on the tendril, destroying it.

Cherri whistled at the display. "I didn't know Charlie could fight."

"Oh yeah. You didn't get to see the fight during the interview." Tom said. He felt a glare coming from Katie. "…Which you totally won, Katie."

The Countess growled in frustration. "I know you're holding back. If you're so keen on protecting your kingdom, then fight like you mean it!"

"Yeah, what gives?" Velvet asked. "Aren't you the daughter of Lucifer?"

With her eyes still red, Charlie said, "…I won't."

"And why is that?" the Countess questioned.

"Because if I plan to help these people, then I'm going to need your cooperation." Charlie said.

"My cooperation?" the Countess chuckled haughtily. "Like I'll listen to your every whim. Sorry, drágám, but these people are my dolls now. That includes the Radio Demon!"

"I'm afraid not." a familiar voice interjected. Everyone looks up to see Alastor, standing tall at the top of the stairs with his cane in hand and Husk, Niffty, and Rosie stood by him.

Charlie blinked and her eyes turned to normal as she smiled. "Alastor…" Angel let out a sigh of relief.

The Countess on the other hand, was baffled. "Wha…? How? How did you…?"

"Let's just say there is a flaw to your methods of puppeteering, my dear." Alastor said cryptically.

Velvet takes a fighting stance. "Looks like that means we don't need her to reverse the affect, right?"

The air around the Countess grew dark as purple static crackled around her. "…You think this is over? Not by a LONG SHOT!" The surrounding shadows erupted to life all around the ballroom, grabbing at everyone and everything. Angel, Cherri, and Vaggie struggled to keep them at bay, but was quickly overwhelmed. Alastor and Rosie moved to shield Niffty and Husk and Husk, for a reason he can't fathom, spread out his wings for extra shielding. Charlie looked at the chaos around her before looking at the Countess. "I'll let you see…what happens when someone DEFIES ME!"

There was a snap and Vaggie screamed. Everything around Charlie went silent, the only sound being that of her hellfire crackling to life as her eyes went red again and her horns grew out from her head. With a dramatic wave of her arms, the fires snuffed out the shadows attacking everyone while keeping them unburnt. Her blonde hair flowed with the hellish energy coming off her as she stared down at the Countess with a rare look of contempt.

" **Big mistake.** "


	6. It's Finally Over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Hazbin Hotel. It belongs to Vivziepop.

The Countess wasn't sure how to react. Sure, she expected some kind of response for her actions, but…she wasn't expecting _this_. Up until now, Charlie had been much of a pacifist, not wanting to resort to violence—at least, not to the level of most demons. A bubbly blonde with a heart of gold and a song in her soul. But now… Now, the Countess has come face to face with Charlotte Magne, the daughter of Lucifer and heir to Hell. Gone was the bright, hopeful smile and replaced with a pursed frown and sharp teeth replaced her adorable canines and her eyes… The Countess has seen her eyes red with yellow irises before, but before they still held on to the hope of getting through to the fallen Overlord. Now…now they were cold as ice. A perfect contrast to the hellish blaze around her. Even her cute little dog-like nose was gone.

Everyone in the room stare at the royal visage with a mix of awe and dread. Mostly (Only) awe on Alastor's part.

Suddenly, there is a pressure growing in the Countess' chest. At first, the fallen Overlord couldn't figure out what it was. Then she knew.

It was fear.

Refusing to let it show, the Countess mustered up a forced smirk, despite a bead of sweat dripping down her face. "W-Well…looky here. The rose does have thorns." She said, her voice somewhat shaky. "But don't think that will stop me. Don't forget I have the powers of the Radio Demon at my disposal!" A large number of shadow minions materialized and flies around Charlie, trapping her in a vortex.

"Charlie…" Vaggie said, holding her stump where her arm was. Angel and Cherri stood at her sides and Razzle and Dazzle stood in front. Alastor watched with a neutral expression, assessing what he is seeing.

With a smile of twisted glee, the Countess clinched her hand and the shadow tornado drew closer to the princess, ready to kill. But, red orange flames erupted from Charlie's being, the shadows shrieked a dying wail.

The arrogant look the Countess had was quickly replaced by one of horror. "…I…" was all she could squeak before Charlie suddenly appeared about an inch to her face.

"You may have copied Alastor's powers, but that doesn't mean you have his level of strength." With that said, Charlie grabs the Countess by the head and soars out of the building, taking the former Overlord with her.

"…Holy shit." Cherri said.

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

Charlie and the Countess landed yards away from the mansion, Charlie's hand kept a firm, forceful grip on the other's head. The princess ignores the look of fear from the Countess.

"I _tried_ to be nice and courteous. I _wanted_ to see the good in every soul that had sinned and is cast down here." Charlie said, her voice cracking as she tries to contain her anger and sadness. "I knew what I was getting myself into and that it won't be easy. I've had people coming to my hotel and act interested only to laugh in my face. Despite that, I still welcome anyone who comes at my door and I'm happy to say that I have patients who truly wanted to be better. And you were no different." Tears drip from Charlie's eyes and even though she is still in her demon form, she looks at the Countess mournfully. "I'm sorry…but, I have to save the people I care about and you wouldn't cooperate." With a heavy heart, Charlie lifts her arm, her hand clawed and fire manifested. "…I'm so sorry."

A black claw clasps that arm before Charlie could deliver the final blow. She whips around to see Alastor, a small smile on his face. There was something…off about that smile. Off for Alastor at least.

"Al—"

"There is no need for this, Charlie." Alastor said, his tone surprisingly gentle. "Vaggie is waiting for you."

When Charlie blinked, her eyes returned to normal and the fire distinguished. "…Vaggie?"

"That's right. Now, go, my dear." said Alastor softly, wiping a tear from her eye with his thumb. Charlie sniffed and nodded, her horns sinking back into her head as she goes back to her default self. Without sparing a glance at the Countess, Charlie sprints off to find her girlfriend. Alastor silently watches her go.

"…Who are you?" he heard the Countess asked. He turns to her befuddled face. "Are you really the Radio Demon?"

"Is this going to be another one of your riddles?"

"You know what I meant." the Countess said. "Do you actually care for the princess and her ideals?"

"Does it look like I care? You do remember our little conversation back when you were trying to drown me, don't you?"

"…I'd say so."

"Then what I said still stands. To me, they are nothing more than pawns I use for my schemes. Nothing more and nothing less."

"What transpired tonight says otherwise. You could've allowed the girl to kill me, and yet, you stopped her." Alastor studied the Countess for a moment, weighing the options to either respond or say nothing. He chose the former.

"Despite being a spawn of Lucifer, the girl is a romantic. However, as a demon born of Hell, she clearly doesn't have a single clue of the darkness of humanity. She has never been to Earth, never seen the lengths humans would go for what illusionary status they work hard to maintain. Humans are nothing more than living demons. Charlie is indeed a sheltered princess." Alastor's grin grew wilder. "I wait for the day she learns that."

The Countess looks down, thoughtful about something. "Alastor, why—" Alastor snapped his fingers and his smiling, stitched minions appeared, grinning wickedly at the Countess. She was horrified at first, but then it softened.

"Save it for a demon that cares." Alastor said. "Oh, of course. She was here a moment ago."

***SNAP***

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

" _How is someone like Charlie the princess of Hell?"_

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

When Charlie returns to the mansion, she was greeted with a one-armed hug by Vaggie. Charlie graciously returns it before looking her love in the eye. Her eyes then trailed to Vaggie's arm, reattached thanks to a white wrapping. Vaggie saw her somber eyes and cups her cheek. "I'm okay, Charlie. Angel's silk is very durable and it's already mending." Charlie goes to check on the guests.

Little by little, the guests who were 'dollified' came back to their senses, thanks to Rosie and Husk. Unfortunately, a few of them were erased because of the Countess. While they were only a handful, Charlie still felt guilty. As soon as Alastor arrived, everyone decided to leave. No one dared to acknowledge how the deer's disheveled appearance betrayed his smile.

It was a long night, a night no one will ever forget. It was also a tiring night. Because Rosie had her own mode of transportation, she declined Charlie's offer for a lift. Now, every one of the hotel crew, plus Cherri, is inside of the princess' limousine. No one said a word, simply too exhausted to hold up any conversation. All the adrenaline they had pumping through their bodies had faded away, giving them a sense of crash and burn.

"Sooo, rough night?" Cherri asked. Angel gives her a look. "…Yeah, stupid question." Charlie sighs softly. Vaggie takes her hand and intertwined their fingers. They share a smile.

"Charlie?" Alastor spoke up. His voice was low and, daresay, tired.

"Yes?"

"We are heading straight for the hotel, yes?"

"…Yes?" Charlie and Vaggie eyed him curiously.

"Ah. That's good." Without any warning Alastor collapsed, out cold. Mental and physical fatigue forgone, the others sprung up to their feet in the vehicle, startled by the stag's sudden loss of conscious. As the limousine drove back to the hotel, Charlie and the rest try to wake up Alastor, who remain dead to the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more part after this!
> 
> A lot of people sees Alastor as evil to the core with an ulterior motive for helping Charlie. And I agree 35%.
> 
> As for the other 65%, and maybe a romantic part of me, I see there are hidden depths in Alastor's character that we have yet seen. I often imagined his views became fully realized during the Great Depression and it made him into a serial killer. Not that he felt he was being righteous or anything, ridding the world of evil or something like that.
> 
> Given the time period and his potential upbringing--remember, he is part Creole--he was probably exposed to bigots too small for their britches with a superiority complex. And he was probably entertained with how they lost it all when the stock market crashed.
> 
> I think the reason why I came to these conclusions is the little things Vivziepop revealed about Alastor. One being that he does have a morale compass, however twisted. He hates dogs, once upon a time a cynophobic. He would never harm children. These things made him still feel human. And I'm sure most sinners would rather forget their humanity.
> 
> Of course, it could still be something waaay different. Like I said, I'm a romantic.


End file.
